Lee Hamilton, the found of Sports Watch on WIBX Radio and the Voice of the Comets in the early 1970s, was the master of ceremonies for the recent Utica Hockey Alumni Association dinner honoring the 1967-68 Eastern Hockey League championship team, which set a professional hockey record by going 57-5-10. Here is Lee's account of the affair:

They came from everywhere, and it was like they had never left, the eleven living members of the 1967-68 Clinton Comets hockey team, that compiled the greatest single season record of any hockey team ever (57-5-10), in winning the Eastern Hockey League championship. The historic hockey movie "Slapshot" told the story of those days, the era of the "Brotherhood of the Bus". Now the players have championship rings to wear to remind them.

A total of 29-other players, representing the Mohawk Valley Comets, Utica Devils, Mohawks, Blizzard, Bulldogs, Mohawk Valley Stars and Prowlers were also represented, at Saturday’s banquet at the Barker Brook Golf Club in Oriskany Falls.

Longtime Comet Archie Burton, goalie Steve Echerskon, and more current players Dick Popeil, Ray Kurpis and Dave Litz were also part of the local contingent.

The group saluted the memory of the late Ed Stanley, whose hockey career spanned from the 1930s on, for building the Comets team with his hockey contact, and building and then rebuilding the burned out Clinton Arena.

The banquet also recognized longtime Minnesota North Star GM-Wren Blair, who developed the pipeline of talent to Clinton, as well as Brian Conacher, who led the drive to save the Comets from extinction in the 1970s. They also remembered deceased Comets from the popular Len Speck, to the more recent passing of Mohawk Valley Comets Chris Meloff and Lou Nistico.

A moving moment came during the ring ceremony, when the son and grandson of the late Comets center Don Davidson came to the circle of honor to receive the blue-stone ring on behalf of the former player.

Kelly praised his player. "They were 60-goal scorers,who never wanted to come off the ice." Borden Smith scored 88-goals in the magical championship season, Bannerman had 65 in the regular season, and Davidson and Kane between them had 200-assists. "They were pros every minute of their life."

Kelly also laughed about the challenge of being a player-coach for 8-years. "I had to be one of the guys, so we’d get paid on Sunday, and go drinking on Monday, but I would be yelling them at practice on Tuesday". The Comets coach went to become the head coach of the NHL Colorado Rockies, and developed the powerful East Coast Hockey League, where he remains Commissioner Emeritus.

Kane laughed about his paycheck. "I got $400 a week and I was rolling in clover. Of course I had to have a summer job too." Bannerman regaled about his career; "I remember the roadtrips, more than the games".

Fiesty Ian Anderson remembered brawls with John Brophy, Blake Ball, Don Perry, Rick Foley and Rosey Paiement. Teddy Tucker called the Clinton Arena, "the coldest building in North America", and remembered the brown ice at the Aud.

Lee Hamilton, the Voice of the Comets on WIBX in the 1970s, emceed the event, and said he hoped "the next banquet should be for their induction into the Utica Hall of Fame, and then to get them recognition in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto."